By now, we’ve all heard a lot about the COVID-19 vaccine. But not everything you hear is true. There’s a lot of misinformation circling around that may cause vaccine hesitancy. We’re here to bust the myths and share accurate information so you can make informed decisions.
MYTH: The vaccine just isn’t safe.
FACT: The three FDA approved COVID-19 vaccinations are some of the best studied medicines in history and went through the rigorous structure of FDA approval. The likelihood of adverse reactions is very small. Normal side effects associated with the vaccination can include a range of uncomfortable symptoms that indicate your body is building an immune response, which is the intended effect of those vaccines.
MYTH: The ingredients in COVID-19 vaccines are dangerous.
Exact vaccine ingredients vary by manufacturer. However, nearly all the ingredients in COVID-19 vaccines are also ingredients in many foods – fats, sugars, and salts. COVID-19 vaccines do NOT contain ingredients like preservatives, tissues (like aborted fetal cells), antibiotics, food proteins, medicines, latex, or metals.
MYTH: The vaccine is NOT effective against variants.
The vaccine is effective against variants. The vaccines were developed against the original strain of COVID-19 but as we have seen the vaccines remain very effective, especially in their protection against severe COVID. You are 25 times less likely to be hospitalized if you have been fully vaccinated and 25 times less likely to die from COVID.
MYTH: COVID-19 vaccines cause variants.
FACT: COVID-19 vaccines do not create or cause variants of the virus that causes COVID-19. High vaccination coverage in a population reduces the spread of the virus and helps prevent new variants from emerging.
MYTH: If I’ve had the vaccine, I can’t get COVID.
Even when fully vaccinated you can still contract COVID-19. But, you still have protection against severe COVID which includes hospitalization and death. In addition, even people who are fully vaccinated can transmit COVID to others. So it’s important to continue with COVID safe practices and isolate yourself if you’re feeling ill.
MYTH: The natural immunity I get from being sick with COVID-19 is better than the immunity I get from COVID-19 vaccination.
FACT: Getting a COVID-19 vaccination is a safer and more dependable way to build immunity to COVID-19 than getting sick with COVID-19. Getting a COVID-19 vaccine gives most people a high level of protection against COVID-19 and can provide added protection for people who already had COVID-19. One study showed that, for people who already had COVID-19, those who do not get vaccinated after their recovery are more than 2 times as likely to get COVID-19 again than those who get fully vaccinated after their recovery.
MYTH: A COVID-19 vaccine can make me sick with COVID-19.
FACT: Because none of the authorized COVID-19 vaccines in the United States contain the live virus that causes COVID-19, the vaccine cannot make you sick with COVID-19. COVID-19 vaccines teach our immune systems how to recognize and fight the virus that causes COVID-19. Sometimes this process can cause symptoms, such as fever. These symptoms are normal and are signs that the body is building protection against the virus that causes COVID-19.
MYTH: Getting vaccinated will affect my fertility.
FACT: Currently no evidence shows that any vaccines, including COVID-19 vaccines, cause fertility problems (problems trying to get pregnant) in women or men. COVID-19 vaccination is recommended for people who are pregnant, trying to get pregnant now, or might become pregnant in the future, as well as their partners.
Myth: The COVID-19 vaccine will cross the placenta and affect my unborn child.
FACT: This is not the case. The MRNA vaccines are injected into the deltoid muscle in your arm and never reach anywhere near the placenta. There is no risk of the vaccine or its components interacting with a developing baby. One good piece of news is that the antibodies formed in response to the COVID-19 vaccination do cross the placenta in the third trimester and actually do confer passive immunity to a newborn baby.
MYTH: COVID-19 vaccines can alter my DNA.
FACT: COVID-19 vaccines do not change or interact with your DNA in any way. Both messenger RNA (mRNA) and viral vector COVID-19 vaccines work by delivering instructions to our cells to start building protection against the virus that causes COVID-19. After the body produces an immune response, it discards all the vaccine ingredients just as it would discard any information that cells no longer need. This process is a part of normal body functioning.
MYTH: COVID-19 vaccines contain microchips.
FACT: COVID-19 vaccines do not contain microchips. Vaccines are developed to fight against disease and are not administered to track your movement. Vaccines work by stimulating your immune system to produce antibodies, exactly like it would if you were exposed to the disease. After getting vaccinated, you develop immunity to that disease, without having to get the disease first.
For more information, check out trusted medical sources such as the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention: Myths and Facts about COVID-19 Vaccines.